1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protocol of a mobile communication network, and more particularly, to a signaling network layer protocol between an RNC and an MSC having a point-to-point structure in an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)-based mobile communication network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Physical matching in a conventional mobile communication network is a connection in a low-speed time division switching method on the basis of 64 Kbps. Signaling network layers provided for transporting a signal message between a radio network controller (termed as xe2x80x98RNCxe2x80x99, hereinafter) and a mobile switching center (termed as xe2x80x98MSCxe2x80x99, hereinafter) includes two layers of an MTP (message transfer part) and an SCCP (signaling connection control part) on the basis of No. 7 signaling network. Functions of each layer are as follows.
First, the MTP function includes a signal message processing function and a signaling network managing function. The signal message processing function performs various functions for reliably transporting signal messages requested by a user at a signal transmission point to a user part of signal receiving point. The signal message processing function includes a message discrimination function for discriminating a signal message, a message distribution function for distributing the discriminated signal message to a proper function individual; and a message routing function for routing the signal message by a signal receiving point on the basis of signal points forming a signaling network.
The signaling network management function performs various functions by re-constructing a signaling network so as to guarantee a reliability of a signaling network in case that a signaling link is broken down or a signal transmission point is broken down, which includes a signaling link managing function of allocating a signal terminal and a signaling link between signal points forming the signaling network and performing activation and deactivation function; a signal route managing function for managing the signaling link established between signal points by grouping them; and a signal traffic managing function for monitoring a traffic of the signal message and sensing occurrence of a malfunction to thereby smoothly manage a signal flow.
The SCCP transmits a signal of an upper layer or a general-use data information, and extends a limited address interpretation capacity of the message transfer unit (MTP) of the lower layer, thereby enabling various signaling link connection management, and thanks to the connection linking, the signal message is reliably transmitted.
Services provided by the SCCP includes a xe2x80x98CLASS 0xe2x80x99, a basic connectionless-mode service, a xe2x80x98CLASS 1xe2x80x99, a connectionless-mode service using a MTP-based sequential alignment function, and a xe2x80x98CLASS 3xe2x80x99, a connection-mode service having a flow control function.
As related functions, there are a signal connection establishing and releasing function using a lower logical linking, a function of mapping a network address to a signal related identifier, an upper message dividing and re-assembling function, a signal connection discriminating function, a message sequence error detection function and a recovery function.
The signaling network layer protocol (MTP and SCCP) on the basis of the No. 7 signaling network of the conventional mobile communication network is a signaling protocol that is capable of managing the network effectively in the complicated network structure of a point-to-multipoint between a plurality of physical individuals. Thus, it is very complicate to set various parameters required for managing the signaling network and its maintenance in the aspect of operation is also complicated, and accordingly, it is a protocol having comparatively great load in for processing signals.
Therefore, in such a network structure mostly formed by point-to-point connections as applied between the RNC and the MSC in the mobile communication network, the No 7-based signaling protocol has a relatively heavy load for processing the signal message, and thus, it is considered much ineffective signaling protocol.
Moreover, the ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)-based signaling network needs to transfer a great amount of signal message through a single physical connection line at a high speed, it should be constructed in a manner that the load for the signal processing is minimized.
Resultantly, the signaling network layer protocol (MTP and SCCP) on the basis of the No. 7 signaling network in the conventional mobile communication network is disadvantageous in that it is complicate to set various parameters required for managing the signaling network and its maintenance in view of operation is also complicated. Especially, the load for processing signals in the network structure mostly formed by point-to-point connections, is relatively heavy.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a signaling network layer protocol of an ATM-based mobile communication network which is capable of providing a proper signaling network layer protocol in case that a signal message is processed on the basis of an ATM between an RNC and an MSC, so as to process the signal message by means of a primitive corresponding to an upper user part or a lower signaling link part internally, thereby simplifying maintenance in the aspect of operation for processing the signal message as well as minimizing its load.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposed of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a signaling network layer protocol of an ATM-based mobile communication network including an MSC and an RNC connected by point-to-point in which a predetermined message form, a primitive between an upper and a lower layers, a state of a protocol individual and an operational procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and the RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL).